Chapter Sixteen
Our plot is charging up to some dramatic moments, as you may have guessed from your prior knowledge of Deathly Hallows. But since nobody wants to just read the same stuff all over again, I'll gloss over some scenes. Work is crazy right now so I'm really squeezing in time to write. Sigh. As always JKR is the owner and founder!
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Draco really had no idea how he got here. It was total madness, he grumbled to himself as he clambered further down the rocky staircase. The stone was slippery from a drip coming from somewhere above in the dank cave network and the air was oppressive. In front of him, Potter was leading the way alongside some poor goblin they had cursed. An unforgiveable curse, at that! Potter was kind of scary when it came to defeating the Dark Lord; he was prepared to do just about anything.
Holy shit. We are breaking into Gringotts Bank, he reminded himself, his internal monologue sounding slightly panicked. He wanted to burst into laughter at the ludicrous position he found himself in. The only thing keeping him grounded right now was Hermione's hand gripping onto his as she scaled down the stairs just behind him. He took a deep breath and helped her climb a particularly steep edge, giving her hand a squeeze and exchanging a wry look with her. She returned his smiled with a beautiful grin and he knew exactly what she was thinking. As they had been getting ready that morning she had burrowed into his arms all of a sudden and whispered into his ear, "I'm so glad you're coming with us. I need you." It had made him feel a warm swelling of pride deep inside his chest, knowing that he was wanted. That she would be relying on him.
It hadn't exactly been an easy journey, though. Potter had seemed rather dubious about divulging to him the knowledge of their quest, although he had ultimately trusted Hermione's judgment, desperate to earn her forgiveness for his recent abandonment. Weasley, however, had been another matter. The ginger haired boy had, at first, refused to have anything to do with him and had almost been left behind as a result. Potter had finally gotten frustrated with his friend's pouting and had told him point blank that they would be leaving at dawn with or without him. And sure enough, he had indeed appeared, scowling and tired as the group snuck out into the grey light of early morning. But since then he had barely spoken a single word to any of them, even scar head. Honestly, the two Gryffindor boys were like an old married couple sometimes, the way they squabbled and hurt each other's feelings.
Draco didn't care, though. He was with Hermione and that was all that mattered. It was so clear to him that she needed to be here with Potter; she wanted to remain by her friend's side and Potter needed her just as much as she needed to feel like she was doing something worthwhile, fighting for what she believed in. Even if Draco hadn't been so keen himself to wipe Voldemort from the face of the earth he would have come along just to be with her. But as it was, he couldn't wait to see that snake-faced bastard get what he deserved. It had stunned him to find out that the evil son of a bitch had split his soul into seven pieces, though. He had stared at Potter in horror as he revealed the purpose of their mission, what Dumbledore had entrusted them with. It defied belief. To split the soul once was terrifying enough, but seven times! It was no wonder the vile wizard had completely lost his grip on reality. Draco had seen him do things that no sane human could even contemplate. He was unstable and lacking all sense of morality or reason. In short, he was a mere fragment of a human being. It all made sense.
Draco huffed out a sharp breath of relief as they made it finally to the bottom level of the old vaults. Apart from a few dark wards and charms, they had yet to encounter any other security. It seemed the illusion of their escort was working, as most bank employees would assume they were being guided down here legitimately by one of their own. And the goblins had no idea that Draco was technically supposed to be missing, presumed captured or dead. It had been all too easy to stride up to one of the many counters in the atrium and demand to be given access to the Malfoy vault. The house elves might not recognise him anymore, but his wand still identified him in Gringotts's records as being permitted to enter the most ancient pureblood crypts. Someone might alert his father and reveal the truth, of course, but they were hoping to be long gone by that time.
"What's that noise?" he heard Hermione whisper in his ear as they rounded a corner that led towards a large chamber he remembered only to well from previous visits. Potter also looked apprehensively at him, cocking his head to one side questioningly. Draco smiled grimly, pointing at a dark alcove hidden away to one side of the chamber.
"That would be…the dragon," he told them in a hushed, dry voice, feeling Hermione shiver in response to the revelation.
"I thought you were joking about that," Potter told him honestly, his own face a picture of surprise as he recalled Draco's earlier list of all the obstacles they were likely to encounter. He shrugged.
"Nope. It's a Chinese fireball, from memory. An old one. But it should be chained up at the moment. There haven't been any alarms or wards set off yet. After we break into Bellatrix's vault however…"
He let the sentence hang and they all nodded in acknowledgement of the possible risk coming their way. Their whole ruse would of course be ruined the moment they entered a different vault to the one they had permission to access. The goblins weren't stupid or laid back when it came to security. Hermione grasped his hand tighter.
"Let's go then," she murmured and Potter nodded, gripping his wand tighter in his visibly sweaty palm. Draco's own wand felt strangely cold, and he glared at the back of Potter's head for the hundredth time that morning. He was certain the other wizard had upset his ownership somehow the other day when he'd disarmed him. It just didn't feel as…welcoming…as it usually did.
The odd group made their way slowly out of the tunnel towards the centre of the high-ceilinged chamber. The goblin stared around them in a spelled daze, while Draco examined the eight vault doors encircling them. Weasley stood a few steps away, listening carefully to the sound of the dragon's deep rumbling breaths. Draco remembered something vaguely about one of the older ginger siblings working with dragons. Maybe the idiot would actually prove useful after moping and following them around like a puppy that had been kicked all morning.
"That's the Malfoy vault there," he pointed out a vault with a big black door, adorned with gold gilding in overly embellished patterns and the Malfoy crest in pride of place. The emblem was ornate, scattered with emeralds and diamonds that were probably more ancient than half the gold inside.
"Very subtle," Potter joked, shooting him an amused grin. Draco just rolled his eyes and spun around, his eyes tracing over the other doorways. The Lestrange crest was immediately familiar to him. He had seen it enough times before, since Rodolphus was one of those slimy people who liked boasting and flashing his old treasures around for anyone to see.
"There," he said confidently, moving towards the door with the most ridiculously large bronze handle he'd ever seen, "I think Bellatrix would be most likely to use the Lestrange vault. There was a bit of conflict between her and the Black family years ago, because of some money that went missing that I'm pretty sure she gave to the Dark Lord. And anyway, in pureblood families the husband takes control over any assets, not that Rodolphus ever had any real power over his wife."
Hermione watched him warily, giving him a slightly nervous smile. She knew he didn't like talking about Bellatrix. He still had nightmares about the things she'd done to him and how she'd haunted him when he was still living at the manor. But as the group made their way carefully towards the vault, Potter was also watching him, a curious gleam in his eyes.
"So… how rich are you, exactly?" the boy eventually asked when he worked up the courage. Hermione spluttered a bit in surprise at her friend's slightly invasive question. But Draco snorted and shrugged his shoulders, not at all surprised by his prying.
"Well if Lucius finds out what really happened to me… I suspect I'll be disowned. So that might diminish my wealth somewhat…"
"Only somewhat?"
Draco shook his head but patiently answered the question. It wasn't exactly the first time that he'd been asked about his money. And Hermione probably deserved to know about it if their relationship was going anywhere.
"Well he can't touch the money that's been left to me from my mother's family. When she died I was given exclusive access to it, as much as I'm sure Lucius will try to claim it."
Harry nodded as he listened, reaching the door of the vault and observing it carefully.
"So you have one of these vaults?" Hermione asked him in a quiet voice. He turned to look at her with interest. He was used to girls being fascinated by his wealth and drawn to him as a result. But if anything, she looked strangely queasy about the thought of his money. It was oddly refreshing. He fully expected Hermione to be the kind of witch that would be driven to make a fulfilling career for herself no matter how rich he was. She was simply not made for an idle life. It made him love her more.
"Yes," he told her quietly, trying to speak as privately as he could in front of Potter and Weasley, "That side of the Black family is one of the oldest in existence. And since Andromeda was disinherited and Bellatrix has no heirs, that leaves just me. But I've been thinking…"
Draco paused, trailing off and shuffling from one foot to the other, refusing to meet her eye. Hermione stroked her thumb over the back of his hand, leaning closer to him. He inhaled softly from the scent that seemed to radiate from her skin and calm him like nothing else could.
"What?" she prompted and he felt a muscle in his jaw twitch self-consciously.
"I was thinking that my aunt…Andromeda, I mean… I think that she deserves at least a share of it. If this all works out and we survive, I want to return what is rightfully hers."
Hermione positively beamed at him. Her smile was so beautiful he actually felt the breath freeze in his lungs for a moment as he stared unabashedly at her. She surreptitiously darted her eyes from side to side, watching to make sure that Potter and Weasley were absorbed with their inspection of the vault door. Then she leaned in and placed a swift, affectionate kiss on his lips. Draco grabbed her shoulders and held her there for a moment, relishing the feel of her sweet mouth melting against him. He let her pull away with his own smirk, tucking a curl behind her ear.
"You would give up your money for her?" she asked in a husky whisper, blinking adorably up at him. He rolled his eyes playfully at her display of Gryffindor sentimentality.
"If it meant having a real family, then yes."
Hermione considered his statement with interest.
"You know Andromeda would treat you like family regardless of the money."
His smirk widened as he nodded.
"That's exactly why I want to give it to her."
Before Hermione could comment, Potter beckoned them closer as he twisted his wand and gave a shaky command to their goblin escort. Draco inched further towards the door, watching the pointy-eared creature reach out numbly and run his fingers over the door. The metal seemed to ripple and bend underneath his touch, and then the door was opening with an almighty groan.
"That will probably have triggered an alarm," Draco explained as the group peered inside the opening, "We don't have long."
Potter gestured for Draco to come inside with him. The brunette boy turned to his two friends and pointed at the ground beneath them.
"Ron, Hermione… stay here and keep watch. Let us know straight away if anyone's coming."
Draco reluctantly disentangled his hand from where it was linked tightly with Hermione's, following Potter inside the vault with careful steps. There was no doubt in his mind that Bellatrix would have a dozen dangerous and deadly curses placed on her precious treasures to protect them from intruders. He only hoped Potter had some kind of plan for finding whatever damn piece of soul might be concealed inside the vault.
Then they'd be one step closer to eliminating that evil, murdering son of a bitch once and for all.
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The rhythmic gusts of wind sounded eerie as they whipped across the rocky mountains and weaved around in between craggy crevices. It was a low, haunting moan that battered the side of the tent. Hermione could feel it right down to her toes, her skin prickling with cold and fear. The adrenalin of the day was starting to fade as the night darkened.
Inside the tent, the air was tense. Once they had clambered ashore and caught their breath, Harry had been gripped by terrifying pain in his skull. He had held onto his head, scar burning, and had fallen to the ground, convulsing. Ever since then he had remained only partly conscious. Hours had passed. He had occasionally murmured things about Voldemort, and horcruxes, updating them in a dazed drawl about what he was witnessing inside the evil wizard's head. But after a while it had been clear that Harry wasn't capable of moving or apparating anywhere, so she'd erected the tent right there near the lake. Her messy-haired friend was slumped on the couch whimpering as he saw more and more of Voldemort's thoughts. Ron was outside the tent keeping watch, leaving Hermione and Draco by themselves, sitting idly on the edge of a bed.
"I can't believe we rode a bloody dragon," Draco muttered, tugging a blanket towards them that was draped over the side of the bed. He pulled it until it was covering their legs. Hermione snuggled closer to him, her eyes darting over the room to make sure her two friends were still distracted. Or in Harry's case, near comatose.
"It's definitely the craziest thing we've ever done!" she agreed, and the two of them chuckled wryly together, remembering how insane it had been to make that first mad leap onto the animal's back. Hermione and her friends had done a lot of strange, dangerous things in their time at Hogwarts, but escaping Gringotts on the back of a dragon had to be the worst.
"So… what exactly is wrong with Potter?" Draco asked after a slight pause once they were both comfortable sitting under the quilt. Hermione frowned, one foot tapping uncertainly.
"He has this weird connection to You-Know-Who. Their minds are linked somehow. It's quite painful for him."
"Is that how he was lured to the ministry in fifth year?"
"Yes, You-Know-Who implanted fake images in his head," she explained, watching as Draco's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"So…he can just see inside his head?"
"Sometimes. He can't exactly control it."
The blond boy shook his head in bemusement. Hermione wasn't sure what else she could say about the situation. It had always bothered her, the connection between Harry and Voldemort. She wondered whether she had stopped herself thinking bout it for so many years because it just gave her a slight pain in her chest. A sense of foreboding niggled at her now, as though her friend was spiralling towards something dark and mortally dangerous. And she felt like there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Draco must have felt the tension in her body. Releasing a breath, he moved to wrap an arm around Hermione's shoulders.
"So what now?"
Hermione shrugged, nestling closer into the crook of his neck.
"Now we wait for Harry to wake up. Then we find the next one."
"Sounds fun."
She chuckled at his dry tone, seeing that he didn't look overly impressed with the thought of spending more time than necessary with her friends. But at least he was making an effort. He and Harry had barely spoken a nasty word to each other all day. It was a miracle.
"Draco…" she began in a quiet voice, turning her head to press her lips against the side of his neck.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think if things hadn't changed and we'd all stayed at Hogwarts for our seventh year that you would have ever…approached me?"
"You mean romantically?" he asked, and she could practically hear the smirk in his tone. She nodded into his collarbone, not daring to meet his eye. She heard him hum gently above her and one of his hands played idly with her curls.
"I might have. I wanted to, you know. In sixth year."
"Really?"
"Yeh, after that night in the hospital wing I thought about you constantly. I watched you a lot after that. I think I was trying to remind myself that someone had cared about me, even if just for one night."
"Not just one night," she corrected softly, "I watched you too in sixth year. I never admitted it but I felt somehow drawn to you… I worried about you."
Draco's hand froze for a second in her hair before resuming its movement.
"I desperately wanted to talk to you again that year. And kiss you again. If we'd stayed at school and Dumbledore hadn't…" Draco cleared his throat and his body physically seemed to cringe at the memory, "Then I like to think I would have worked up the guts to at least smile at you once or twice eventually. Maybe even strike up a conversation."
Hermione giggled into his shoulder.
"You mean instead of just stealing my locket?"
She looked up in time to see a slight blush infuse his cheeks. Draco let out a huffing breath and a sheepish smile graced his lips.
"Sorry about that," he said with a wince of embarrassment, "I was an idiot. You were just suddenly there…and I was leaving. I didn't know if I would see you again."
Hermione felt a twinge of affection. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. Draco seemed surprised at the sudden kiss, but it didn't take long before he twined his fingers through her curls and deepened it. She shivered fitfully when she felt him nibbling on her bottom lip and parted them for him, their tongues meeting in a brief caress. A low groan escaped Draco's throat.
"I wish we weren't stuck here with your damn friends…" he muttered in a strained voice against her lips. Hermione smiled and blinked up at him. She reached up to run her fingers over the soft strands of blond hair on his forehead.
"You're insatiable," she teased gently, nipping at his bottom lip in return and enjoying the sound of his moan.
"Can you blame me? I wish we were back in our little house… private, isolated…"
"You mean Andromeda's house-"
"Exactly. I could make you scream my name at the top of your lungs and no would hear us."
Hermione shuddered.
"You do always seem rather focused on trying to make me louder when we... do things."
Draco grinned and kissed her fiercely once more, his lips cold but soft against hers. Then he drew back to stare at her with a spark of heat in his eyes.
"There's no sweeter sound in the world than hearing the girl I'm madly in love with moaning my name so loudly I can still hear it ringing in my ears later."
Hermione blinked, the air rushing out of her lungs as she contemplated the boy beside her. He had said it so artlessly that she knew he meant every word. Draco himself appeared rather stunned at his admission. He had confessed his feelings before, of course, but never so casually or so naturally. She watched as he opened and closed his mouth a few times as if to explain himself or say something more substantial. Hermione felt her heart swell and her emotions crystallise into one very significant, albeit unfamiliar sensation. With a watery smile she pressed her forehead against his and took a deep breath.
"I think I've been falling in love with you ever since fifth year," she told him in a hushed tone, but she could see every word pierce him as he swallowed and took a deep, shaking breath.
"Really?" he stammered, looking so adorably hopeful it made her feel a hot pleasure deep in her stomach.
"I started loving you before I even really knew you," she admitted with a slight shrug, "That night in the hospital wing you became so… real, so full of heart and humanity. It took me by surprise."
Before she could say any more, Draco was kissing her again. He tilted his head to the side to deepen the contact, attacking her lips passionately while she held on to his neck with desperate fingers, her heart thumping. She gave a little whimper, which he swallowed greedily.
A slightly pained groan interrupted them before they could get carried away, and the two lovers parted with heavy breaths, smiling at each other for a moment before turning to the source of the noise. Harry was pushing himself up stiffly onto his elbows. He was rubbing one hand roughly over his forehead where his scar stood out, red and angry. Hermione jumped to her feet, calling for Ron to come inside as she rushed over to her friend's side.
"Harry! Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed voice, aware that he often suffered extremely painful headaches after times like these. Ron had hurried over as well and they stood around their scruffy-haired friend while he recovered from his trance-like state, waiting on edge for him to speak. When he didn't reply, she exchanged a worried look with Ron.
"You alright, man?" Ron asked in a casual voice, trying to sound calm in case Harry launched into a temper like he sometimes did when he'd been too deeply wrapped inside Voldemort's thoughts and feelings. Harry coughed slightly, his eyes still screwed shut.
"Wat…water-"
Before either of his two best friends could react, Hermione saw a pale hand shoot out, offering a glass of crystal clear ice water. She turned and watched in surprise as Draco handed over the glass he'd summoned. He was trying to look blasé about it, but she could see that he was also disturbed by the after-effects of Harry's stupor. He wasn't as used to Harry's strange relationship with Voldemort as they were so it must have been a shock to witness. Her friend opened his eyes blearily and accepted the glass with a look of relief, not even batting an eyelid when he saw that it had been supplied by his former nemesis.
"Thanks," he croaked eventually after he had gulped down the entire glass at once. Draco shrugged and shuffled awkwardly from one foot to another as they all observed Harry warily. Hermione's lip was turning red and swollen from biting down too hard on it.
"What…what did you see, Harry?" Ron asked at last, clearly unable to wait any longer. The brunette boy exhaled with a violent tremble. Hermione quickly summoned the blanket they had been snuggling under a moment ago, draping it over his shoulders.
"We need to get into Hogwarts," Harry said in a rush, finally meeting their eye. His skin was pale and clammy but his expression was determined.
"Hogwarts?" Hermione squeaked, stunned by his statement. Harry nodded vigorously.
"The last horcrux is there."
"Are you sure?" Ron asked, his skin white beneath his freckles.
"I saw everything," he confirmed with a fierce look in his eye, "When he learned about what happened at Gringotts, he just knew. For the first time I could actually feel his fear. He knows that we've been hunting down and destroying pieces of his soul. And the arrogant son of a bitch if finally afraid."
"How did he find out we stole the one from Gringotts?" Hermione asked curiously. Ron snorted, giving his friend an amused look.
"Well I don't know how to break this to you, Mione, but I think someone might have noticed we broke out of there on the back of a dragon…"
The others chuckled as well, remembering the violent way they had burst up through the underground vaults and into the sky over Diagon Alley. Hermione's initial reaction was to feel embarrassed that she had asked such a silly question, but honestly she was just happy that Ron had joked with her. Maybe their friendship wasn't doomed after all.
"How do you know there's one at Hogwarts?" Draco asked after the moment had passed.
"I heard his thoughts and saw his reaction," Harry explained. "He started panicking about the other ones. I watched him travel to the cave by the sea and to the gaunt house. And then I heard him thinking about the remaining ones and needing to protect them. Dumbledore was right; the snake Nagini is one. And he seems confident that the one at Hogwarts is safe. I reckon it must be something belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw!"
Hermione watched as the blond Slytherin boy spluttered slightly, his cheeks turning an odd green tinge.
"Wait… that bloody snake is one?"
Harry nodded, clenching the blanket around himself tighter. A look of disgust passed over Draco's face.
"I hate that fucking thing! Please let me be the one to kill it."
"Why?" Harry asked curiously. Draco's face darkened even further.
"Let's just say if you'd watched a giant filthy fucking snake eat a person whole you'd want to destroy it too."
The golden trio all pulled faces of horror, exchanging uncomfortable glances at Draco's increasingly grim tone.
"That's… awful," Harry commented at last. He stared more closely at Draco, as if seeing him for the first time, "I'm not surprised you wanted to get out."
The blond boy shrugged, trying to look overly casual.
"I may have been a little prat at times growing up, but I'm no sadist. I know you might find that hard to believe, Potter-"
Hermione held up her hands to stem any possible argument between the boys.
"So… how do we break into the castle? What's the plan?" she interrupted. Ron made a scoffing sound and rolled his eyes.
"Since when do any of our plans actually work?"
Harry chuckled hoarsely at his friends, still rubbing furiously at his scar as if it was itching him.
"I say we just apparate to Hogsmeade and scout it out. Maybe there's a way we can get in."
"The place will be surrounded by Death Eaters," she reminded him.
"We don't really have a choice."
"It sounds too dangerous-"
"We need to get in there before You-Know-Who! We have to find that horcrux."
Draco cleared his throat, interrupting the debate going on between the Gryffindor trio. All three pairs of eyes turned to him in surprise as he smirked.
"Just a thought… why don't we ask Dobby?"
Harry cocked his head to one side.
"Dobby? How can he help?"
"If he can get in and out of Malfoy manor, why not Hogwarts? He was technically employed there by Dumbledore, right?"
The three of them blinked in surprise and considered his suggestion. It made sense. After a moment, Harry grinned.
"Welcome to the team, Malfoy! Crazy ideas are our specialty. And for some strange reason they usually work… against all odds."
Ron glared a bit darkly at his friend's overly welcoming tone. But Hermione just chuckled.
"We have been outrageously lucky for seven years," she agreed. Harry jumped to his feet, giving his scar one last rub. The four of them took a deep, collective breath, their expressions ferocious.
"Alright then. Let's do this!" Harry growled, gritting his teeth into a snarl. "Let's go defeat that snake-faced son of a bitch!"
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Everyone ready for the battle of Hogwarts? Story winding up in the next couple of chapters. Now I've just got to decide how I want it to end… Please review!